Flexible conduit.



U. S. AELM 1 111G- .11 J. H. PARKER. XIBLE CONDUIT.

APPLIQATIOK FILED JUNE 20, 1910.

1,002,481. Patented sep1.5,1911.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

ULYSSES S. ARMSTRONG, OF NEW KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, AND JOHN H.

PARKER, CLIFTONDALE, MASSACHUSETTS 1 FLEXIBLE coNDUrr.

Patented sept. 5, 1911.

To all whom it may'concem:

Be it known that we, ULYssEs S. ARM- STRONG, a citizen of the United States, residin at New Kensington, in the county of Wstmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, and JOHN H. PARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cliftondale, in the county of Essex and State of' Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flexible Conduits, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

l|l`his invention relates to improvements in flexible conduits. i'

The object of the invention is to provide a conduit of this character which may be readily bent to form curves Without producing angles or sharp ridges in the material formingthe fabric or cracking the compositions used in connection therewith.

.VVit-h this and other objects -in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side view partly in section of one form of the improved conduit having a woven outer covering and showing the manner in whichl the conduit is constructed; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the conduit having a braided covering and showing a different construction of the inner tube winding; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a different construct-ion of the wrapping from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a side view partly in section of a conduit having the same in@ termediate wrapping and outer covering as shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating a different form of inner tube the latter being shown' in this instance as formed of a continuous woven fabric; Fig. 5, is a similar View showing the inner tube formed of a spirally wound adhesive tape having an intermediate wrapping of flat tape and cord as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and an outer woven covering such as shown in Fig. 1.

In the embodiment of the invention as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings we provide an inner tube 1 formed of burlap, canvas or other suitable material which is stitfened with starch, glue sizing or other stiifening preparation and is formed in the desired size and shape upon a suitable mandrel or other tube forming device. The edges of the material forming the inner tube are drawn and held together by means of a thread or adhesive tape which is tightly wound around the tube. In the form of the conduit shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings the inner tube 1 is wound with thread 2 and has applied thereto an adhesive or cement-in preparation a which will retainy the thread wrappings in place and firmly cement the fiber wrappings to the inner tube. In Fig. 2 of` the drawlngs the inner tube 1 has also applied thereto an adhesive or cementing preparation a and is wound with a tape 3 of suitable width which when engaged with the adhesive surface of the inner tube will be thereby held in place thus securely binding the edges of the tube together. After the inner tube has thus been woundv an intermediate wrapping is applied'thereto said wrapping consisting of a fiat strip or tape 4 and a round strip or cord 5. These strips are preferably formed of paper or ber and are wound alternately around the inner tube as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing. After the tube has thus been wrapped with the liber strip and cord a coverlng 6 of braided or woven'fabric is applied to the same over the lstrip and cord wrappings. In Fig. 1 the covering. 6 is shown in the form of a woven fabric while in Fig. 2 this covering is shown in the form of a braidedfabric. In the form of the conduit shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings the inner tube may be wound and wrapped in the manner shown in either- Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 of the drawings and is shown as being wrapped in the same manner as Fig. 1. After being thus wrapped an ad' being either of woven fabric as shown in Fig. 1 or as braided fabric as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. After the conduit has thus been formed the same is subjected to and saturated with a fire resisting and water proof composition after which powdered mica is applied to the outer surface of the conduit to relieve the same of stickiness fro the composition applied thereto.

In Fig. 4 of the drawing is shown a modi- 40 all these objections by fied fom tililneribee; said tube being l.as a continuous tube., The inner tube 8 has applied thereto the "intermediate fiber and cord wrap ings andan outer covering of eltherwoven or braided fabric and 1s treated 1n thesame manneras described mconnee;v

tion with the first forms offthe conduit.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings, the inner tubeY 9 is shown as beingformed from a spirally wound strip of adhesive tape'and the inner tube ywhen thus constructed.v has' apphed thereto a 'tape-and cord wrapping, after which an outer cover off either braided or woven fabric is applied thereto andltreated in the same manner as described in connection with .the previous forms of the mvention.'l 4 In the last form of the conduit, the inner faolladhesive tape tube has preferably applied to its inner surface fpwdered mica or similar material to relieve the same of any stickiness which may be caused by any uncovered inner surface of the adhesive strip or tape forming 26 the same.

The use of a round cord alone for the intermediate wrap ings in flexible conduits 'has not hereto ore proven satisfactory -Owing'to the small bearing surface of the 30' cord on the inner tube, distortion of the tube would permit the cord to become detached from the tube and the tube would then collapse.; The use ofthe dat strip alone has been unsatisfactory for the reason that,

85 while it adhered irrnly to the inner tube, the

bending of the tube would cause the strip to break through theouter covering and moisture would then leak in and be absorbed by the ber. In our conduit, we overcome rovidin an' intermediate wrapper consisting of spiral coils of -a flat stri and around cord arranged alterconstructedof a woven fabric, and is formed 1 natelysi e by ,sidefthe ilatstrip adhering closely tothe inner Stube and preventing co lapse of the same,"wliile the cord acts as a lhinge to accommodate bending and im art tot e conduit the vdesi'redliiexi ility wi out, ermittingthe excessive flexibility which ,ex- 'isted when the round cord alone was emom the foregoing description takenv in connection withthe' accompanying drawings, the construction and operation'of the invention will be readily understood withcut `requiring amore extended explanation.

and the minor details of construction vmay be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing an ofthe advantages of' this invention as dehyned in the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we-claim is:

In a flexible conduit, the combination of an inner tube, an intermediate spiral wrapping applied exteriorly around said tube and consisting of a fiat strip and a round cord having their coils alternating with each other, and ari-outer covering applied around said wrapping.

In testimony set our hands 1n witnesses.

whereofy We have hereunto presence of two subscribing ULYSSES S. ARMSTRONG. vJOHN H. PARKER.

Witnesses to signature of U. S. Armstrong WM.v G` Youn, E. R. Cnlss. `Witnesses to signature of J. H. Parker:

J osnrn Knnrn,

HAYDEN M. SABEN.

Various changes in the form, proportion 

